ALMOND JOY CAKE

Paradise in every bite! No, really! I rarely really love my cakes, I'm too picky, but this one is moist to perfection and the coconut stands out but does not overpower the chocolate. The dark chocolate ganache is a great balance to the sweetness in the filling. But you can easily adjust the chocolate used in it to your taste! (milk, semi sweet...)

Try it with:

CAKE
4 eggs (2 egg whites beaten until stiff peaks)
1+1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1+1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 T baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
2 T sour cream

FILLING
1 can condensed milk (preferably La Lechera by Nestlé, found at your supermarket hispanic/mexican aisle)
1 can coconut milk (shake it!)
1 cup + 2 T freshly grated coconut 
2 T unsalted butter

GANACHE
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups good quality chocolate (I use ghirardelli chips 62%)

2oz approx. of raw almonds for decoration.

Cream the eggs (minus the 2 egg whites, of course) with the sugar and the vanilla. Little by little add the remaining ingredients beating at medium to low speed. Careful not to beat too much.

Bake in a springform pan (9") in pre heated oven @350F for 40-45 minutes.
While baking the cake, make the filling: mix all ingredients in a sauce pan in medium heat and stir until thickened/firm. Set aside.

For the ganache, boil the cream, turn the heat off and add the chocolate. Stir until completely melted with a wooden spoon or heat resistant spatula. This step must be done just prior to covering the cake. While warm it will be liquid but it thickens once it cools. It will harden in the fridge.

For the filling: cook all the ingredients in medium heat until thickened. Use a heavy bottom pan like enameled iron.

Cut the cake into 3 pieces. Moisten each layer with approximately 80-100 mL of Coca-Cola or coconut milk boiled with sugar (I call it a syrup).
Top the first slice already moistened with half of the coconut filling. Cover with the second slice of cake and top with the remaining filling. Add the last layer of cake. Add more coca-cola or syrup. Cover with the ganache and decorate with the almonds and more coconut.

Tip: A fan of almond joy? Add pieces or slivered almonds to the batter or filling as well.